Rooted and Grounded in Love

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
-Ephesians 3:14-19 (ESV)

Are you rooted and grounded in love? In his love. In Jesus love. In God's love through Jesus. Is Jesus living in your heart? Not just the idea of Jesus, but the person of Jesus Christ. Is he permanently living in you, so that you can live the life, his life?

If you are not rooted and grounded in love, then the Christian life will not work, because salvation only works inside out.  Christ in you, in your heart, in your inner being, on the throne of your life.

And the process is life long and not to be set aside.  It is ongoing.  Being rooted and grounded in love is another key to life.  I don't have to worry about a to z, because I have God's love in Christ and have the love power of the Holy Spirit operating in my life through my inner being.  I have concerns, I have plans in pencil with a big eraser, I have a lot of questions, and I have prayers.  But worries and fears, not so much.

Having his love rooting and grounding me, co-missions me to be on his mission.  He is at the wheel, in the driver's seat of my life.  He calls the shots.  My time is his and my keys are his keys, he lets me have as a steward.

Roots hold a tree up.  Being well rooted, means that the roots go down and grab the ground like fingers.  The best roots, for stability, are long, or are wrapped around rocks, underground.

Being grounded means being founded, as in "foundation-ed".  In ancient times, they would build a house on rock, if at all possible, so that it would stay standing in a storm.  The worst thing you can build on is sand, because it shifts, and your house will crack and fall apart.

Jesus said that the one who obeys his words is the one with the rock-like foundation under his life (Matt. 7:24).  Paradoxically, we can only obey Jesus if our lives are surrendered to him as Lord or King of our whole lives, letting him live through us, as the Spirit of God transforms us into being like Jesus.

The desire to be rooted and grounded in love is something that was inspired by God, and given to Paul, as a prayer, for the church.  When Paul starts with, "for this reason", we have to ask, "what reason?"  And the answer is given, if you go back and read from chapter two, verse thirteen, that says, "but now in Christ Jesus, you who were one far off have been made near by the blood of Christ."  

Paul goes on the write about God's purpose, in Christ and for the church of Christ.  Paul is praying for something that is God's will.  This is not something we are not certain about, but it is God's desire that we are asking for, when we pray with Paul, to be rooted and grounded in love.

Paul wrote here that he prayed this with bowed knees.  We can pray standing, sitting, with hands up, or hands folded.  To bow your knees is a sign of humility from you and that the person you are in front of is powerful and to be feared and respected in the greatest way, and that shows with our posture.

Praying to God, on our knees is a good thing.  It humbles our pride that wants to lift itself.  Try it, your spirit will like it, and it is good for you to humble yourself.  We need to bring our bodies into proper submission to God.  Something to consider.

This whole prayer is very rich and worthy of our time to meditate on and savor each group of words, as a prayer, for the dedication of the church.  The people of God are meant to be a beacon to the world and to the powers in the invisible realm, of God's eternal purpose in Christ.

The life of Christ only works or operates in us through his love.  We are receivers of love and givers of love.  Jesus remarked that the onlooking world will be witnessed to by our love for each other.

It is notable that a short time later, when John wrote the book of Revelation and had a word for the church at Ephesus, the rebuke part of the word was, "you have left your first love".  The antidote for this, is to repent and return to doing the things you did at first.

We get sophisticated, when God calls us to be pure and simple and wise.  We can be brilliant, through God, but not complicated or convoluted.  The way of Christ is the way of love in action.  It starts with repentance and simply receiving Christ's love and then letting Christ love through you.

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The painting above is by Sara Joseph, posted here.

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